Analysis and validation of a Powertrain System Analysis Toolkit model of a fuel cell hybrid rickshaw

Abstract

SUMMARYAuto rickshaws are three-wheeled vehicles that are common in Asian cities. Because of the large number of rickshaws on the road and their older two-stroke engines, they have a significant negative impact on urban air quality. Recent changeovers to four-stroke engines as well as diesel, compressed natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gas engines have succeeded in reducing the quantity of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. However, because of the large number of vehicles, the rickshaw "fleet" still represents a significant source of air pollution. There have been several studies that have examined the feasibility of converting an internal combustion engine (ICE) rickshaw to a photovoltaic or fuel cell (FC) hybrid electric configuration. These studies have typically used or modified a standard urban drive cycle. It is argued that such drive cycles do not accurately portray the demands on a rickshaw. Thus, the results may be misleading. In this study, a model of an ICE rickshaw was created and validated against experimental results. Two drive cycles that would closely emulate the true demands on a rickshaw operated in an urban environment were developed. A model of an FC hybrid rickshaw was created and tested. The effects of FC and battery capacities as well as the electric motor type on performance were studied. A comparison between ICE and FC hybrid rickshaw configurations was done using a realistic drive cycle. The ICE and the FC hybrid rickshaw models were created and assessed using the Powertrain System Analysis Toolkit software package.

Fuzzy gear shifting control optimisation to improve vehicle performance, fuel consumption and engine emissions

“…The driver behaviour is represented by a driving cycle that defines whether the vehicle is at rest, accelerating or decelerating, or at constant speed [21], and if applicable the road slope. In this paper, it was chosen the FTP‐75 standard driving cycle (Fig.…”

A superior hybrid fuel cell vehicle solution for congested urban areas

“…Hence, the cost goes up noticeably. As a result, downsizing the FC system and hybridizing it with an energy storage system decreases system cost and improves performance [8].…”

“…Hybrid FC vehicles have been proposed as they promise cleaner operation, better performance, and higher energy efficiency than conventional vehicles [7]. In [8] a model of a Hybrid FC rickshaw was created and tested. A comparison between ICE and Hybrid FC configurations was assessed using the Power-train System Analysis Toolkit (PSAT) software package.…”

Modelling, design and control of a light electric vehicle with hybrid energy storage system for Indian driving cycle

“…The primary focus of the design concepts for a threewheeled EV has been on the integration of renewable energy sources with BESS and as an electric power assist to the internal combustion engine (ICE). [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] The comprehensive review of various design concepts of a three-wheeled vehicle is given in Table 1. The concept of integration of battery/UC configuration for a threewheeled EV proposed in this work will open up new avenues of research with focus on weight, range, battery life and cost.…”